Solar power in Iowa

Solar power in Iowa on rooftops can provide 20% of all electricity used in Iowa.[1] A 2012 estimate suggests that a 5 kW array will pay for itself in utility savings in 18 years and generate a profit of thereafter.[2] On June 7, 2012, Sky Factory in Fairfield became the first company in the state to generate all of their electricity from solar power, with the installation of a 54 kW 3500 sq. ft. solar array.[3][4][5] Prior to that one of the largest arrays was the 15.75 kW array on the Marshalltown Public Library.[6]

Net metering is available continuously to all consumers generating up to 500 kW, one of the best policies in the country[7] but is given a B because of not being available to large, megawatt users.[8] A feed-in tariff is available for customers of the Farmers Electrical Cooperative for up to 25% of their electricity. It pays 20 cents/kWh for electricity generated, none of which can be directly used – a separate meter is required, in a parallel connection, making it a power purchase agreement, instead of a feed-in tariff.[9] The state of Iowa has proposed a feed-in tariff, in Senate bill SF 225. A separate rate applies for systems less than 20 kW and systems from 20 kW to less than 20 MW.[10][11]

In December 2011, Des Moines based MidAmerican Energy Holdings, a Berkshire Hathaway company, purchased the Topaz Solar Farm, which when completed, at 550 MW, could be one of the largest in the world.[12]

Statistics

Source: NREL[13]
Iowa Grid-Connected PV Capacity (MW)[14][15][16][17][18]
Year Capacity Change % Change
2010 <0.1
2011 0.1 <0.1
2012 1.2 1.1 1100%
2013 4.6 3.4 283%

See also

References

  1. ↑ Report Argues for a Decentralized System of Renewable Power Generation
  2. ↑ Iowa State Solar Power Rebates, Tax Credits, and Incentives
  3. ↑ Heartland business becomes the first entirely solar-powered company in Iowa
  4. ↑ Fairfield business says solar power will make it “net zero”
  5. ↑ Sky Factory Goes 100% Solar
  6. ↑ Our Green Library
  7. ↑ Iowa - Net Metering
  8. ↑ Freeing the Grid
  9. ↑ Farmers Electric Cooperative (Kalona) - Renewable Energy Purchase Rate
  10. ↑ Iowa Considering Feed-in Tariffs
  11. ↑ SF 225
  12. ↑ First Solar Sells California Solar Farm to MidAmerican Energy Holdings
  13. ↑ "PV Watts". NREL. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  14. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (August 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2011" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2012-08-16.
  15. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (June 2011). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2010" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2011-06-29.
  16. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (July 2009). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2008" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
  17. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (July 2012). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2012" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). p. 16. Retrieved 2013-10-11.
  18. ↑ Sherwood, Larry (July 2014). "U.S. Solar Market Trends 2013" (PDF). Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC). Retrieved 2014-09-26.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 03, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.